High Reliability Extractor Depressor for Use in Handguns

ABSTRACT

A high reliability extractor depressor assembly for use in handguns which significantly reduces the effect of recoil on the extractor depressor plunger assembly. These positive effects are accomplished by the following: (a) designing a new longer piece (standoff bar) of greater mass, (b) redistributing the mass from the rear of the assembly to the front, (c) designing a new shorter piece (extractor depressor plunger), (d) reversing the location of the longer piece (standoff bar) and the shorter piece (extractor depressor plunger) in the assembly, (e) increasing total mass of the assembly, and (f) changing the balance of the assembly by shifting mass to the rear of the spring.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None.

FEDERAL RESEARCH STATEMENT

None

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved extractor depressor plungerassembly for use in handguns. More particularly, the present inventionis a high reliability extractor depressor assembly that is designed tosignificantly increase reliability in harsh or extreme environmentsand/or in heavy usage.

While the claimed high reliability extractor depressor assembly can beused effectively in many different types of handguns, for the purposesof explaining the attributes of the invention, a Glock 17 will be usedas the demonstration platform.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Handguns are well known and disclosed in the prior art. In mosthandguns, the extractor depressor assembly is well known and maturetechnology. The primary feature of this design is having the majority ofthe mass forward of the extractor depressor plunger spring (i.e. towardsthe muzzle). While this has served the various Glock models well in thepast, it has occasionally led to performance problems in severeenvironments on in heavy use.

The prior art teaches several distinct types of handguns and inparticular several types of Glocks.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,889 to Gaston Glock teaches a standard Glock pistolwith a conventional extractor depressor mechanism.

Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,744 also to Gaston Glock discloses aGlock pistol with a conventional extractor depressor mechanism.

The above cited examples of the prior art comprise a standard extractordepressor assembly as is shown in FIG. 6. While these extractordepressor assemblies have served the handgun well, they have led to adeterioration of performance in extreme environments, heavy use, or whenweight (such as a tactical flashlight or extra capacity magazines) isadded to the frame. The instant invention resolves this deterioratedperformance in extreme and heavy use environments as is describedherein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed toward a high reliability extractordepressor assembly that is designed to significantly increasereliability in harsh or extreme environments and/or in heavy usage. Thisis accomplished by redesigning the extractor depressor assembly toinclude higher mass, an optimized redistributed balance that results ingreater and, most importantly, more consistent extractor tension,nominally less recoil, and somewhat improved friction wear.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows a close up view of the high reliability extractordepressor assembly. The three components of the high reliabilityextractor depressor assembly are the standoff bar 20, extractordepressor plunger spring 30, and extractor depressor plunger 40.

FIG. 1B shows an exploded view of the high reliability extractordepressor assembly including the standoff bar 20, extractor depressorplunger spring 30, and extractor depressor plunger 40.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the extractor depressor assembly 10 in closeproximity to the rear of a Glock 17 slide 50.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the Glock 17 slide which shows the extractordepressor assembly 10 as it would be inserted into the extractordepressor plunger raceway 65 in the slide 50.

FIG. 4A shows a closeup view of the extractor depressor plunger 40.

FIG. 4B shows a closeup view of the standoff bar 20. The standoff barincorporates the following changes to the stock component: more than tentimes greater overall mass, beveled rear edge to reduce wear on theslide cover plate, beveled nose to ensure the coils of the spring passsmoothly, and is made of stainless steel or some other corrosionresistant material.

FIG. 5 shows a rear view of the High Reliability Extractor Depressor(also known as the HRED) 10 inserted into the extractor depressorplunger raceway 65 in the slide 50. Also shown is the slide cover plate53 which holds the HRED in place in the raceway during operation of thehandgun.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention refers to a redesigned and improved highreliability extractor depressor assembly for a handgun. For ease inunderstanding the instant invention will be described in the context ofa Glock 17.

In order to understand and appreciate the significant benefits of theinstant invention, it is instructive to review the function of currentextractor depressor plunger assemblies in relation to other parts of aGlock. In a standard or stock Glock, once the gun has been “fired”, andthe bullet and propellant gases have exited the barrel, the slide beginsto decelerate. This deceleration causes free mass components in theslide (for example, the extractor assembly, firing pin, etc.) to exertrearward pressure on the slide. Said another way, as the slidedecelerates, free masses in the slide will press against the rear of theslide just as a person riding in a vehicle presses against his or herseatbelt during sudden braking.

In the standard Glock, the deceleration of the slide causes de-loadingof the extractor. Essentially, the deloading occurs as the weight/massof the extractor depressor plunger exerts force to the rear as the slidedecelerates. The resulting force is in opposition to the spring andresults in less pressure on the extractor. The deceleration in arecoiling firearm is not generally smooth and tends to sharpen atseveral key points prior to extraction:

-   -   First, when the recoiling barrel makes contact with the locking        block.    -   Second, when the barrel first starts to unlock and the extractor        shifts on the cartridge.    -   Third, when the barrel binds in the locking block and the        extractor attempts to dislodge the cartridge.

At each of these points, any mass forward of the extractor spring willapply compressive force (rearward force) to the spring and reduce thepressure on the extractor. Variations in extractor pressure increase thelikelihood of the extractor jumping over the rim of the cartridge andleaving the cartridge in the chamber—failure to extract. The extractoris basically a hook that grabs onto the rim of the cartridge. Pressureon the extractor maintains the hook in place. If pressure is reducedjust as the cartridge is extracted the extractor may not stay in place.In other words, the mass of the extractor depressor is thrown toward therear of the firearm away from the extractor as the slide decelerates. Asthere are significant G forces involved, the mass of the extractordepressor is multiplied many times. It is for this reason that it iscritical to keep the mass forward of the spring relatively low.

This compressive force on the extractor spring is further exacerbated byanything that increases the frame's resistance to movement as thisincreases the rate of deceleration in the slide. Put simply, the harderthe frame is to move the more quickly the slide will come to a stop.This means the addition of mass such as tactical lights or metalguide-rods all reduce extractor effectiveness. The effect is also morepronounced with very experienced shooters who take a very high, veryfirm grip on the weapon. The effect is more pronounced for aftermarketmetal frames which tend to have different characteristics than stockframes, or with the addition of tactical lights.

In semi-automatic firearms, the extractor serves to latch onto andremove the shell casing from the chamber after firing. In designs suchas the Glock the extractor is a claw-like catch that hooks into adepression in the base of the cartridge and pulls the round out of thechamber. Generally, there is a spring (or springs) that provides thetension to keep the extractor claw in the groove of the cartridge. Ifthere is insufficient pressure on the extractor to keep it in the grooveof the cartridge the extractor will slip off of the cartridge ratherthan pulling it free from the chamber. This is what is generally knownas a “failure to extract” malfunction or FTE. As extraction takes placeduring recoil it is important that the violent recoil of the firearmdoes not inadvertently reduce the pressure on the extractor when it isneeded most. Additionally, as extractors are typically spring powered itis important that they are designed to reduce their tendency to ‘bounce’and loose contact with the cartridge.

The present invention improves the performance of the Glock bysignificantly reducing the effect of recoil on the extractor depressorplunger assembly. These positive effects are accomplished by thefollowing:

A. designing a new longer piece (standoff bar) of greater mass.B. redistributing the mass from the front of the assembly to the rear.C. designing a new shorter piece (extractor depressor plunger).D. increasing total mass of the assembly.The attributes of these redesigned components will be discussed in thefollowing sections.

Referring to FIG. 1B, the three components of the high reliabilityextractor depressor assembly 10 are shown: namely the standoff bar 20,the extractor depressor plunger 40 and the spring 30. One of the majorattributes of the high reliability extractor depressor assembly 10 isthat the mass of the HRED is significantly greater than that of thestock extractor depressor assembly. This is done in order to increaseextractor tension during the rearward acceleration phase of recoilwithout increasing spring weight. When the slide starts to accelerate tothe rear, the weight of this bar pushes against the extractor helpingseat it fully just before the actual extraction takes place.

FIG. 1A shows the three components of the HRED as they joined togetheras they would be installed into a handgun.

At this point, it is instructive to describe the mechanics of theextraction process. When the slide first begins to accelerate toward therear, the mass of the entire extractor depressor plunger assembly bearsforward against the extractor. Ideally, you want an extremely heavyassembly when the slide is accelerating to the rear to maximize seatingpressure on the extractor. However, when the slide starts to deceleratewhile moving to the rear, that same mass works the other way and triesto move away from the extractor. To counter this, the design of theinstant invention moves the majority of the mass rearward of the spring.

In order to better understand this concept, it is instructive to thinkof a person riding in a car attempting to keep pressure against thebackrest of the seat on which he or she is sitting during acceleration,normal at speed travel, and heavy braking. In this analogy the backrestrepresents the extractor where we want pressure applied. When the caraccelerates a person's mass helps push them against the backrest.Applying this analogy to a standard Glock there is a spring in front ofthe person (between them and the dash) helping to keep pressure againstthe back of the seat. This works fine while accelerating. However, thesituation is somewhat different when the brakes are applied heavily (or“slammed”). When the brakes are slammed, the person's weight pressesforward and compresses the spring, which takes pressure off of thebackrest behind them. Even if the seatbelt stops their forward movementthey may have already moved far enough forward that their back is nolonger touching the backrest behind them. Similarly, once the gun isfired, the forces inherent to the firing process would tend to relievepressure on the extractor and cause the mechanism to become unstable andmore susceptible to jamming and instability. The present design differsfrom the standard design in that the spring is located behind the person(between their back and the seat) rather than in front of them. In thiscase when the car accelerates the weight of the person helps push thespring more firmly into the back of the seat, so during accelerationthis works just as well as the typical design. However, when the brakesare slammed with the spring located between the backrest and person'sback, the spring will continue to apply pressure to the backrest even ifthe person leans forward into the seatbelt. In the standard design themass of the person beneficial during acceleration, but a detrimentduring deceleration, so a compromise of lighter mass is generally used.With the present design the person's mass remains a benefit duringacceleration, but has no negative effect during deceleration. As aresult, a higher mass can be used to maximize the benefit duringacceleration.

Referring to FIG. 4B, the standoff bar 20 of the instant inventionrepresents a significant departure from that of a standard Glock. Thestandoff bar incorporates the following attributes: it has a maximumdiameter 26 for the entire active length 22 of the piece. This is doneto ensure the maximum amount of mass in the rear part of the highreliability extractor depressor assembly 10. In addition, the consistentdiameter of the standoff bar shaft allows the standoff bar to be trimmedto various lengths by grinding or other methods in order to customizespring tension.

FIG. 4B also shows the spring retainer 21 of the standoff bar 20 whichallows the spring 30 to be firmly seated and held onto the standoff bar.The spring retainer 21 can vary in size between 0.080 and 0.140 incheslong and a diameter of between 0.095 and 0.0105 inches.

FIG. 4A shows the redesigned extractor depressor plunger 40 whichincorporates the following attributes:

A. the length of the bearing nose 46 was increased slightly to providegreater resistance to canting.B. The spring retention section 48 of the bearing spring guide waswidened. This geometry ensures that the first coil of the spring whichis wound around the bearing has a slightly greater diameter than thebearing diameter. As a result the first coil of the spring makes solidcontact with the raceway. This effectively lengthens the nose of thebearing (reducing canting) without adding mass. This also shields thesharp edge of the bearing seat from the raceway.C. the bearing seat 47 was slightly back cut to reduce any gap andimprove fit between the spring seat and the spring itself. This is doneto reduce the likelihood of binding in the raceway.D. finally, the geometry of the spring guide 42 was designed to limitcanting to approximately 1 degree, so even if other measures fail, thespring itself will hold the bearing in the proper position.

Perhaps the most significant improvement of improved extractor depressorplunger assembly is the mass distribution of the new assembly withrespect to the stock assembly. Whereas the stock assembly has the longer(high mass) component forward (towards the muzzle) of the actuatingspring and the shorter (low-mass) component to the rear of the spring,the improved extractor depressor plunger assembly has the long componentto the rear of the spring and the shorter piece toward the front.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the assembled HRED 10 in relation tothe rear of the slide 50.

FIG. 3 shows a rear view of the slide 50 including the extractordepressor plunger raceway 65 into which the assembled HRED 10 isinserted when the Glock is fully assembled.

FIG. 5 shows a further rear view of the slide 50 with the HRED insertedinto the extractor depressor plunger raceway 65. Also shown is the slidecover plate 53 which slides into place in the opening in the rear of theslide 50 and holds the FIRED in place in the raceway during operation ofthe handgun.

The approximate size and geometry of the various components in thepresent invention are as follows:

-   -   a. The standoff bar 20 is between 1.30 inches and 1.80 inches        long with the optimal length being approximately 1.66 inches.        The diameter of the bar is between 0.13 inches and 0.16 inches        with the optimal diameter being approximately 0.15 inches.    -   b. The extractor depressor plunger 40 is between 0.25 inches and        0.75 inches long with the optimal length being approximately        0.48 inches. The maximum diameter of the extractor depressor        plunger is between 0.13 inches and 0.16 inches with the optimal        diameter being approximately 0.15 inches. The forward end of the        plunger is slightly rounded or domed and is approximately the        same diameter as the standoff bar. Approximately one third of        the way along the length of the plunger, the diameter is reduced        by 30 to 40 percent with a 36 percent reduction being optimal in        order to form the seat for the forward end of the spring.        Approximately half way along the longitudinal axis, the plunger        is further beveled to reduce the diameter to about half of its        original diameter. This reduced diameter remains until the end        of the plunger at which point the end is slightly rounded.    -   c. The extractor depressor plunger spring 30 is between 0.60 and        0.80 inches long in the rest position and between 0.41 and 0.45        inches long in the fully compressed position. The diameter of        the spring is approximately 0.15 inches.    -   d. The standoff bar 20 is rounded at the rear end is structured        to accommodate the spring and also provide a mechanical stop for        the spring at the front end.

The standoff bar can be made of any strong rigid material with a highdensity, good heat tolerance and galvanic compatibility with the rest ofthe firearm. The spring can be made of stainless steel, various carbonsteels, titanium, or composite with the preferred material beingstainless steel. Finally, the plunger can be made of any strong hardmaterial with good heat and abrasion resistance with a martensitic gradeof stainless steel being the preferred material.

1. A high reliability extractor depressor for use in handguns comprisinga. a standoff bar b. an extractor depressor plunger spring and c. anextractor depressor plunger.
 2. A high reliability extractor depressoras in claim 1 where the extractor depressor plunger is located towardthe front of the extractor depressor raceway in the slide of a handgun.3. A high reliability extractor depressor as in claim 1 where thestandoff bar is located toward the rear of the extractor depressorraceway in slide of a handgun.
 4. A high reliability extractor depressoras in claim 1 where the extractor depressor spring separates thestandoff bar from the extractor depressor plunger.
 5. A standoff bar foruse in high reliability extractor depressors for handguns where thelength of the bar is between 1.30 inches and 1.80 inches long and thediameter of the bar is between 0.13 inches and 0.16 inches.
 6. Astandoff bar as in claim 5 which is slightly rounded at rear end andcontains a spring retainer at the inner end to accommodate a spring. 7.A standoff bar as in claim 5 where the length is 1.66 inches and thediameter of the bar is 0.15 inches.
 8. A standoff bar as in claim 5which is made of a strong rigid material with a high density, good heattolerance and galvanic compatibility with the rest of the firearm.
 9. Astandoff bar as in claim 5 which is made of stainless steel.
 10. Anextractor depressor plunger for use in high reliability extractordepressors for handguns where the length of the plunger is between 0.25inches and 0.75 inches long.
 11. An extractor depressor plunger as inclaim 10 which is slightly rounded at the front end and contains aspring retainer at the inner end to accommodate a spring.
 12. Anextractor depressor plunger as in claim 10 where the length is 0.48inches and the diameter of the bar is 0.15 inches.
 13. An extractordepressor plunger as in claim 10 where the bearing seat is reduced. 14.An extractor depressor plunger as in claim 10 which is made of stainlesssteel.
 15. An extractor depressor plunger as in claim 10 where thediameter is between 0.15 and 0.155 inches and the length is between 0.15and 0.20 inches.
 16. An extractor depressor plunger as in claim 10 wherethe spring retention section is between 0.05 and 0.1 inches.
 17. Anextractor depressor plunger as in claim 10 where the spring retentionsection is chamfered.